Gulf and Caribbean Research Volume 8 Issue 3 January 1991 Food Preference of Penaeus vannamei John T. Ogle Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Kathy Beaugez Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr Part of the Marine Biology Commons Recommended Citation Ogle, J. T. and K. Beaugez. 1991. Food Preference of Penaeus vannamei. Gulf Research Reports 8 (3): 291-294. Retrieved from https://aquila.usm.edu/gcr/vol8/iss3/9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18785/grr.0803.09 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Gulf and Caribbean Research by an authorized editor of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Gulf Research Reports, Vol. 8, No. 3, 291-294, 1991 FOOD PREFERENCE OF PENAEUS VANNAMEZ JOHN T. OGLE AND KATHY BEAUGEZ Fisheries Section, Guy Coast Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 7000, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39464 ABSTRACT The preference of Penaeus vannamei for 15 food items used in maturation was determined. The foods in order of preference were ranked as follows: Artemia, krill, Maine bloodworms, oysters, sandworms, anchovies, Panama bloodworms, Nippai maturation pellets, Shigueno maturation pellets, conch, squid, Salmon-Frippak maturation pellets, Rangen maturation pellets and Argent maturation pellets. INTRODUCTION preference, but may have been chosen due to the stability and density of the pellets. Hardin (1981), working with There is a paucity of published prawn preference P. stylirostris, noted that one marine ration which in- papers. Studies have been undertaken to determine the cluded fish meal was preferred over another artificial distribution of potential prey from the natural shrimp diet made with soybean. In another study, six commer- grounds (Hilderbrand 1954, 1955, Williams 1955), but cially prepared artificial diets were tested against a whether shrimp distribution is influenced by prey distri- control of chopped fish, with the fish the most preferred bution is uncertain. Some information on the natural (Anon. 1972). Of the six artificial diets, a high density diets of penaeids is available from analyses of the shrimp basal diet was most preferred, while a basal diet substi- foregut contents (Broad 1962, Dall 1968, Rubright 1978). tuting soybean meal for fish meal was least preferred Even in some aquaculture ponds, the natural benthos may (Anon. 1972). comprise the majority of the shrimp’s diet despite the At present, fresh or frozen natural products are used presence of artifical feeds (Rubright 1978, Anderson et as the primary feeds for controlled maturation of penaeid al. 1987, Reymond and Lagardere 1990). shrimp, and studies have been conducted on some of Some species of shrimp feed selectively and exhibit these foods. Hill and Wassenberg (1987) noted that dietary preferences. Karim and Aldrich (1970) found Penueus esculentes consumed animal matter in the fol- that Penueus setgerus exhibited a greater selectivity lowing order of preference: the prawn Metapenaeus than Penaeus aztecus, but both preferred live Artemia bennettae, the bivalve Donax deltoides, the bivalve over five artificial diets. P. durorwn evidenced an Pernu canaliculus, and the prawn P. longistylus. Brown increase in consumption of artificial diets as the content et al. (1979) found that P. setiferus consumed mussels of Artemia increased (Sick and Baptist 1973). Hysmith more readily than oysters. Ogle (1991), in a survey of et al. (1972) found that P. aztecus preferred chopped fish maturation facility managers utilizing Penaeus van- (whiting) over fish meal pellets, with soybean meal namei, noted that squid was the most commonly used pellets the least preferred of the three. Meyers and Zein- natural food (94%) followed by bloodworms (64%) and Eldin (1972) indicated that, given a choice, shrimp oysters (43%). This use pattern was apparently due to prefered odiferous rations. Quarberg (1974) found that availability and cost, not necessarily because of shrimp when P. aztecus were offered arthropods, the insect preferences. As little was known regarding the prefer- larvae were selected over the insect nymphs which, in ence of P. vannamei for the various feeds being used in tum, were preferred over the adults. Dead arthropods maturation, the following study was conducted. were consumed more than live arthropods but this may have been due more to the ability of live arthropods to escape capture than to preference. He also reported that lllATEws AND METHODS natural benthos were preferred over artificial rations. When several different artificial feeds were offered, The feeding preference of P. vannamei was deter- Quarberg found that Purina Marine ration, Ralston Purina mined for 15 food items (Table 1). Each treatment trout chow and M-G 32 were consumed more often than (ration) was evaluated in duplicate 1-m diameter tanks, M-G 28, Domino catfish feed and co-op fish feed. He with five individually weighed shrimp in each tank. found that the rations were not necessarily chosen for Shrimp ranged in size from 7.6 g for the first week to a Manuscript received July 26, 1990: accepted November 9. 1990. 29 1 292 OGLEAND BEAUGEZ TABLE 1 Ranking of food Items offered to Penaeus vannamei in order of decreasing preference., with preference established on the basis of consumption. 1. Artemiu sp. 2. Krill (Euphuusiu superbu) 3. MATNE BLOODWORMS (Glycen'u dibranchiu) 4. OYSTERS (Crussustreu virginicu) 5. SANDWORMS (Nereis virens) 6. ANCHOVIES (Anchou mitchilli) 7. PANAMA BLOODWORMS (Americunuphis reesei) 8. NIPPAI MATURATION PELLETS 9. SHIGUENO MATURATION PELLETS 10. CONCH (Strumbus gigas) 11. SQUID (Lulligunculu brevis) 12. SALMON & Frippak maturation pellets 13. RANGEN MATURATION PELLETS 14. Argent maturation pellets ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ Series 1 Experiments-capitalied, Series 2 Experiments-not capitalized. final size of 11.1 g for week 14. The tanks were filled chopped into small pieces, weighed and allowed to thaw to a depth of 22 cm with natural baywater obtained from shortly before placement in tanks. All feed items were the Mississippi Sound. The water was adjusted to 16 ppt placed on opposite sides of the tanks. The feeds were using Instant Ocean artificial sea salt and maintained at placed in reverse order for each duplicate tank and a temperature of 26+3OC. Aeration was provided by one placement was alternated daily in all tanks. The feed item airstone/tank. Prior to being stocked into experimental in each tank consumed to the largest extent was consid- tanks, shrimp were held in a 8,000-1 raceway where they ered to be the preferred food for that tank (Table 2). After were maintained on a commercial shrimp grower pellet all experiments were conducted, foods were compared (Zeigler Bros., Inc., Gardner, PA). and ranked according to the number of times each food was selected. The proportion of each food that was Each trial lasted five days, as a longer experiment period resulted in poor water quality. Since addition of consumed was determined visually after an 18-hour a filter also removed food particles, the water was left period or when one food was completely consumed. If unfiltered Food was offered daily in the aftemoon, at the relative consumption could not be clearly determined rates of 15% of shrimp body weight for fresh foods and in a given tank, the two food items would be removed and 3.5% for dry feeds. Several hours after feeding, the lights reweighed for actual consumption. In cases where both were tumed off until the following morning. Observa- foods were totally consumed, the first food consumed tions on consumption of feed items were routinely entirely was noted as the preferred food. Pellets were continued into the evening, with checks made by flash- counted and examined for wholeness before being placed light. in the tanks and again immediately before removal from Each experiment was duplicated, with two different the tanks. When two sets of similarly shaped and colored foods being offered in each tank during each five-day pellets were offered, each set was altemately dyed using trial. All foods were kept frozen and natural foods were Aquashade. 293 FOODPea OF PENAEUSVAMVAMEI TABLE 2 Series L Combinations of 11 food items tested over a 10-week period. ~~ Tank 1 Tank 2 Tank 3 Tank 4 Tank 5 Tank 6 Maine Conch Nippai Shigueno Smdwor ms Week 1 Squid Squid Maine Panama Shigueno Sandworms Conch Anchovies Conch Salmon Week 2 Squid Maine Rangen Shigueno Sandworms Sandworms Rangen Salmon Anchovies Shigueno Week 3 Anchovies NiPpai Rangen Panama Squid Oysters Oysters Squid Oysters NiPpai Week 4 Sandworms Salmon Rangen Maine Shigueno Oysters Anchovies Anchovies Anchovies Anchovies Salmon Week 5 Nippai Conch Oysters Maine Squid Shigueno Anchovies Salmon Rangen Rangen Panama Panama Week 6 Shigueno Conch Shigueno Conch Nippai Squid Maine Shigueno Panama Panama Anchovies NiPpai Week 7 Rangen Maine Rangen Conch Nippai Squid Oysters Nippai Oysters Salmon Conch Salmon Week 9 Conch Sandworms Shigueno Panama NiPpai Squid Maine Sandworms Salmon Oysters Maine Week 10 Sandworms Panama Maine Panama Panama Results based on two replicates for 5 days. Preferred food in bold. Nippai, Rangen, Shiguendaturation pellets. Maine and Panama-Bloodworms. Water in the tanks was swirled, food, debris and performance. Based upon results of the first test, the food detritus were allowed to settle and were daily siphoned would be compared to another food ranking higher or off the bottom. The tanks were devoid of any substrate lower until its ranking was established. to ensure complete removal of food and provide an unobstructed view of the food as it was being consumed. At the termination of each five-day trial, the water and RESULTS shrimp were replaced. Each set of shrimp was used only once in the preference experiments. Adult frozen brine shrimp was the most preferred food Any dead shrimp were removed in the mornings and of P.